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There’s nothing better than a warm bowl of soup on a cool fall day… or so they tell me! I’m a Florida girl, so I have to pretend it’s a crisp, cool night. What I don’t have to pretend about is my love for this Thai Coconut Soup recipe, which is a vegan version of Tom Kha Gai. It’s warm, comforting, and I like to make a big recipe and share it with my friends.
I’ve made this soup more times than I can count and I never get tired of it. I love it so much that I included it in my new book, Simple Green Meals. Try this soup and if you love it, then share it with your friends!
Table of Contents
How to Make Thai Coconut Soup
This is a great 1-pot meal as all the veggies cook right in the coconut milk. Because there is a bit of chopping in this recipe, I like to get that out of the way first. Chop the carrots, mushrooms, cashews, green onions and chili peppers as well as spiralize or chop the zucchini.
When heating up the coconut milk + curry paste mixture, don’t heat up too quickly. I use medium low to medium heat so as not to burn the liquid.
Add the carrots and mushrooms before the zucchini, and allow them to cook 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. It won’t take long for the zucchini to heat up and soften, so no need to keep it on the stove long (it will turn mushy).
Once the carrots are ready, then add in the zucchini and just heat for a minute or two (seriously, the zoodles don’t take long!).
You can make this Tom Kha Gai soup a day ahead of time too, and allow the flavors to meld overnight. If doing this, then add the zucchini during the reheating time to keep it fresh. Once you give this thai coconut soup recipe a go, leave a rating below and tell me how it turned out! My friends and family love this soup so much, I bring it to gatherings all winter long.
Levels of Spice in Tom Kha Gai
I love a spicy kick, so this soup has one. Yet if spice isn’t your thing, then let’s make this Thai coconut soup work for you. First, the curry paste adds a lot of flavor. So instead of eliminating it altogether, try to use half the amount, or even a quarter.
If you like the crunch that peppers bring, but can’t handle chilis, then try first to remove the seeds (those are the hottest parts!). If it’s still too spicy, swap it out for a green bell pepper. All the crunch with none of the punch… see what I did there?
If you’re like me and crave a spicy soup, then go ahead and add in more curry paste! You can also top the soup with red pepper flakes.
Storage Tips
One reason I love soup is the ease of making a big batch then storing the extras for the future. Soups make quick + easy lunches or weeknight meals when you don’t wanna cook.
If you plan on freezing this soup, I recommend leaving out the zucchini noodles. They are super easy to add when you’re ready to reheat, and they often get slimy when frozen. I even freeze the toppings in a separate container, so they are chopped and ready to add when I pull it out again.
Make sure to store your Thai coconut soup in a freezer-safe bag or container. If using glass, leave room for it to expand. I’ve def had some glass mason jars burst in my freezer… and it’s not a fun mess to clean up.
Buying the Right Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is confusing to buy because it comes in many different packages! For this recipe, I recommend using canned coconut milk. The carton kind doesn’t contain the fat needed to make this recipe super silky creamy, which is what takes it over the top. I find the canned variety typically in the international section of the grocery store.
When choosing the right kind for you, decide if you want full fat or lite. I use full fat coconut milk in my thai coconut soup because it has the best flavor + creaminess. Then look at the ingredients. Companies like to add all kinds of crazy stuff to canned products that truly aren’t necessary! Look for limited ingredients that are pronounceable.
With the growing popularity of coconut milk, many stores are stocking more and more variety, which is awesome! Even Target has their own brand now. I typically buy Thai Kitchen, Trader Joe’s, or Thrive Market.
Origins of Thai Coconut Soup
If you’re ordering this soup at a Thai restaurant, you’ll probably see names like Tom kha kai or Tom kha gai. Note that it typically has chicken in it, while my inspired recipe below is vegetarian. It comes from northern Thailand and is traditionally served with rice. To keep my version grain free, I use spiralized zucchini, or zoodles.
Common additions include fresh ginger, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Don’t hesitate to add these to your recipe; they are sure to taste amazing!
Plant-Based Recipes to Share
While you can def add cooked chicken to this recipe, it’s delicious without it! People tell me how hard it is to cook vegetarian, and I get it. I like creating recipes that don’t rely on meat for nutrition, then you can choose to add it or leave it out when you make it (and either is fine). Here are some of my family’s fav plant based dishes:
- Almond butter zoodles
- Thai-inspired lettuce wraps
- Noodle salad
- Coconut bacon BLTs
- Jackfruit BBQ tacos
- Hemp hearts sauce w/ veggies
- Simple homemade ramen
- Teriyaki bowl
- Spiralized taco salad
- Crispy chickpea tacos
- BBQ pizza
Food shouldn’t be boring, and it should be easily shared. Grab one of these recipes today and help your family try something new!
How to get your kids to try Tom Kha Gai
Two things help my kids try more foods: helping pick out ingredients and helping cook. As you can see from the video for this Thai coconut soup recipe, Clare was 100% on board to help make this soup. I chose age appropriate ways for her to help, and was okay with less than perfection in the kitchen as we cooked. This Tom Kha Gai soup has foods she traditionally shies away from… yet not when she helps make it!
I also let my kids join in when shopping for ingredients. Jackson loves trying exotic fruit and I’m all for it! He is turning into quite the chef nowadays, and my mama heart is bursting with happiness that he shares my love for good food. Plus, he makes great food and gives Ryan and me the night off cooking (win-win!).
Thai Coconut Soup
Ingredients
- 7 cups coconut milk light or full-fat canned
- ¼ cup Thai curry paste red or green
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 carrot very thinly sliced
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 zucchini spiralized
For Serving
- ¼ cup raw cashews chopped
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
- 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the coconut milk and curry paste.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the maple syrup and salt.
- Add the carrots and mushrooms and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
- Add the zucchini noodles. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with cashews, scallions, chile pepper, and lime wedges.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If zucchini ‘noodles’ aren’t your thing, then swap for brown rice or millet ramen
- You can use a vegetable peeler to create zucchini strips if you don’t have a spiralizer.
- Use full fat canned coconut milk for the richest flavor, use light canned coconut milk for less fat
- The nutrition facts are based on full-fat canned coconut milk. Use light canned coconut milk for fewer calories and fat.
- Omit the chili pepper and halve the amount of Thai curry paste for a less spicy meal
I left out the maple syrup, and it was good. On the hot / spicy side, but it was still good. I don’t like sweetness in my dinners. Great soup.
I used a pre-made coconut curry sauce as the base because I didn’t have any coconut milk. I added a little water to thin it out. Put in half a teaspoon of red Thai curry paste and half a diced jalapeño including ribs & seeds. Turned out really spicy – our noses were running! Husband said it was the best soup I’ve ever made because it was different than all the others, and he loves spicy! It was almost too spicy for me, but that could be from the jarred VH sauce. I prefer the other soups, like the minestrone, which is why I gave this one only 3 stars. However this Thai soup is very flavourful.
I love the flavors of this soup – definitely a winner!
Great tasting soup but I would prefer more heat and less maple syrup. It is nowhere near “Thai-spicy” as served in Bangkok.
Having said that, it’s quick and easy and has good flavour—next time I’ll add bird’s eye chilis to increase the heat.
Needs more spice of the curry. I added diced zucchini instead or spiraled and it was good. I also put it over rice since it was very soupy. Very good but needs a bit more flavor.
When I committed to the soup challenge I decided to make all of the soups.(My freezer now has a 2 week supply of additional soups of each of the varieties.) Not everyone in my home loves this soup but I like the change in flavor to what I usually enjoy. It will make an nice addition on a night when I serve Asian Dishes.
Low in protein. Vegans need more protein. From the Harvard Medical Publishers:
” Q. I have heard that coconut is bad for the heart and that it is good for the heart. Which is right?
A. Viewed in isolation, coconut and coconut oil can’t be considered heart-healthy foods. A 2-ounce piece of fresh coconut contains more than 13 grams of saturated fat — nearly two-thirds of the recommended daily limit for the average person. Ounce for ounce, coconut oil delivers more saturated fat than butter, lard, or margarine. Feeding studies in humans, monkeys, and rabbits show that coconut oil substantially elevates LDL (bad) cholesterol.”
Hi Linda – coconut oil is full of healthy fats. While it is more dense in saturated fat than olive oil, 1-2 TB per day is still in a healthy range. Like most other oils and fats, it should be consumed in moderation and limited amounts.
Feel free to replace the coconut oil with an alternative, preferred oil – like olive oil or avocado oil for any of our recipes or you can always omit the oil for certain recipes, such as smoothies. 🙂
Love that it’s vegan yet still flavorful!
My all-time favorite!!
Really like this one! It was comforting.
Really great soup and so creamy. Loved the vegetables!! It really rivals restaurant soup-wow-who knew I could make soup so tasty!! Thank you for another great one!
oops-left off the 5 stars from me!
Made this one first! Very good
Found a curry coconut milk at Wholefoods used 1 can of it along with curry paste then ended up putting my ‘soup’ on top of white rice as a standard curry like dish … I will make it again
As I live alone, can’t make a soup every day! This one certainly caught my attention
We loved it! Vegan and eat on meal a day so we added cabbage, extra veggies, miracle noodles, tofu, and hemp seed, nooch, and shredded coconut.
BTW, so gr-8 full for You! I have been following you for 7 years and your grocery lists are a Godsend!
OMG…this soup is my favorite so far…I made early as we are going to a friend’s for football today and I just had to try it for breakfast because it smelled soooo good! So creamy, a bit of heat, the flavors are outstanding! And zoodles too…I love using zoodles. Thanks for another great recipe!!
This soup has so much rich flavour! It honestly tastes like something you’d get at an expensive Thai restaurant! Make it and serve to your dinner guests, or enjoy it on a cozy day while reading a book! Anytime is the perfect time for this one!
I love Thai soup. I was so excited in the soup was one of the ones we are making. I did find it a little sweet from my taste. Next time I will met the maple syrup. I ended up putting some red pepper flakes into combo the sweetness, but other than that I think this was a very nice easy soup when I’m craving Thai food with a little tweaks.